Forest fire destroys 4,500 palm trees in Socotra

A huge fire has destroyed more than 4,500 palm trees in the Yemeni island of Socotra, General Manager of Hadibo district of Socotra Saad Salmeen said on Sunday.

Salmeen made clear that the fire broke out in Al-Dabna village, to the

east of Hadibo city, the provincial capital of Socotra, in the area known for date-producing farms.

He added that a housewife was preparing lunch when fire sparked from her wood-burning stove and spread to the nearby palm trees due to fast wind, Salmeen said, noting that the speed of wind in this season is unprecedented on the island.

It took six hours from the firefighters belonging to the first marine brigade and local citizens to control the fire, he said, noting that no casualties were reported.

Preliminary estimates of the damage show that 4,500 palm trees, 100 water pumps, 10 irrigation networks and four plastic boats have been destroyed in addition to the death of 100 heads of cattle and sheep, he added.

The Socotra Island is the largest island of the Socotra archipelago in the Arabian Sea, some 380 kilometers south Yemen.